


Through Time and Space

by StarSongs



Series: After all these years (I still love you) [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, I posted the first chapter like a week ago but I didnt like it so i deleted it but im back, I'm Bad At Summaries, M/M, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Spoilers for Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, ish, like a lot of hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-30 08:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14492562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSongs/pseuds/StarSongs
Summary: The tales of love and loss aboard the ship Starblaster; and of the human and elf who got caught in the middle of all of it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Big shout out to my pal Milo (jcyriding) for beta reading this for me. I've never had a beta reader before and it helped a lot!
> 
> Full sentences that have been italicized in this fic are going to be the characters speaking in a language other than common. In this case, they're speaking elvish.

Cycle 0

 

When Taako and Lup received their letters, they almost refused to believe the words on the paper. They’d applied for the mission almost as a joke. Neither were exceptionally qualified in terms of academics (Lup had dropped out of school at a pretty early age, and Taako quickly followed suit), but both were skilled in the arcane arts. But after everything this world had taken from them, and all the pain it had caused, the two jumped at the chance to get a far away from it as they could, and it seemed that their half-baked plan had worked. Out of all the arcanists who had applied, they had been chosen. That night, they celebrated like the world was ending.

 

When Magnus received his letter, he was in his room, alone. He hadn’t had a roommate in a long time, so he had no one to celebrate with. But he did celebrate. Out of everyone who applied, the folks with bigger muscles or a tougher resolve, _he_ was chosen. Magnus, security officer of the Starblaster. Interdimensional explorer. He cracked open a bottle of his fancy, special occasion wine, tipped it in the direction of the small fish swimming in his bowl on his dining table (he’d have to find someone to look after Fishy while he was gone) in a small toast, and began his own celebration.

 

* * *

 

It was only a week or two before the expedition when the crew was finally allowed to meet. Apparently, there was a big deal about maintaining privacy and secrecy for safety reasons. The Institute was a well known and well respected organization, but this mission had been shrouded in secrecy. The Institute had only announced it recently, and even then, not many details were given, outside of the potential of inter-planar travel. The folks in charge of the mission worried that, should the identity of the crew get out, they’d be bombarded by media, which could lead to one of the crew accidentally slipping up, and telling the world about bond energy, and everything else the Institute wasn’t ready to be revealed yet. Not to mention, hundreds had applied for one of the seven positions, so there were bound to be some bitter individuals out there. Taako didn’t really understand it, but didn't mind it either. After all, the only person besides Lup he would tell would’ve been his aunt, and she’d been gone for a long time. That being said, he was more than a little anxious to meet his new travel companions; they would be stuck on a ship together for several months, if not longer, so he wanted to know if things were going to be troublesome as soon as he could.

 

The Institute had put together a little banquet, intending it to be a meeting of creative minds, as well as an opportunity for the crew to be able to meet for the first time in a safe, relatively controlled setting. Most everyone who had worked on the Starblaster was there; engineers, scientists, arcanists, the whole shebang. The invitation to the banquet was also extended to members of the IPRE who knew about the project and wanted to learn more, or who were just anxious to meet the crew. A few days after the envelopes, each member of the crew received their brilliant red uniforms, as well as tickets to this banquet and instructions to wear the uniforms to it. Taako thought that, seeing how obnoxiously crimson their uniforms were, they’d easily be able to pick out the rest of the crew. Unfortunately, most everyone there was also in red (the color of the IPRE), so finding the rest of the crew would be easier said than done.   

 

Taako and Lup discovered very quickly that, to their knowledge, they were the only two who spoke Elvish in the room, so it gave them all the freedom to talk about the folks they met without them knowing. So far, they’d met several scientists and inventors who weren’t coming on the journey but had assisted with the creation of the Starblaster, along with Captain Davenport, a gnome with red hair and a mustache that was slightly upturned at the corners. Both twins took a liking to him; although he was a bit more reserved about it, he shared their eccentric nature. Eventually, Davenport was called away, but not before pointing out the rest of the crew to the twins.They’d run into the dwarf Merle Highchurch a little earlier, and Lucretia (who Davenport had introduced as their human chronicler) didn’t really seem to interested in talking, despite the best efforts of a burly man who Davenport had introduced as Magnus. Apparently, Magnus had decided that the best way to wear the his uniform jacket was to just wear it, meaning plain not bothering with a shirt underneath.

 

“Is there, like, a rule against that or anything?” Lup asked, pointing towards Magnus’ bare, burly chest. Davenport just shrugged.

 

“I’m not aware of any rule that outright says you _have_ to wear something under your uniform.” He said, and Lup nodded approvingly.

 

Taako would be lying if he said he wasn’t ogling Magnus at least a little, although he would try and deny it if confronted about it. Davenport didn’t seem to notice, but Taako didn’t even have to look to know Lup had. Lup knew Taako had a type, and Magnus fit it just about perfectly. When he finally did look, Lup was giving him a knowing smile and wiggled her eyebrows. Taako glared in her direction, but she seemed unphased. If anything, it seemed to confirm something for her, and suddenly, with a start, she clapped.

 

“Well, Captain Davenport, it was lovely meeting you, but I am positively parched. Taako, come grab a drink with me?”

 

Davenport seemed a little taken aback, but took it in stride, giving Lup and Taako a surprisingly firm handshake for someone about three feet shorter than them and told them he’d see them at the mission briefing the next day. Taako and Lup made their way towards the open bar, and as they did, Lup and Taako made the switch back to Elvish.

 

 _“Way to be subtle, my dude.”_ Taako raised a quizzical eyebrow at his sister as she spoke. _“You were so making heart eyes at Beefcake over there.”_

 

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear sister.”_

 

 _“Shut up, yes you do.”_ She poured the two of them each a glass of the champagne they were serving at the banquet, which was just a little too dry to be, well, good, but it was the only drink they had besides sparkling water.

 

 _“Ok, so maybe I was staring, but I definitely wasn’t making heart eyes.”_ He took a swig of the shitty champagne, grimacing as it went down.

 

_“You absolutely were, you butt!”_

 

_“I absolutely was not! If anything, it was more along the lines of fuck-me eyes.”_

 

 _“First of all, grosseroni. But you admit that you were making eyes at him.”_ Lup took a smug sip of her drink, and made the same disgusted face as Taako. _“Who do I have to kill to get decent booze around here?”_

 

Taako nodded in agreement. _“Lup, I’m but a simple gay elf, and I’m sure you know by now that I’ve got a weakness for bears. So forgive me for making eyes at the only shirtless, muscled, hairy guy here.”_

 

Lup laughed and began to say something when a voice cut her off.

 

“Hey! You’re Lup and Taako, right?”

 

Speak of the devil, and he shall come. The twins turned around to find Magnus standing behind them. They guessed he’d come over sometime while they were talking, and they just hadn’t noticed. But here he was, bare chest on full display under his red jacket, nametag and IPRE logo on it, smiling at the two of them. Taako’s heart dropped into his stomach for a moment, and he thanked his lucky stars that he and Lup hadn’t been speaking in Common, or this would be way more awkward than it already was.

 

“That’d be us! Now comes the tricky part: which is which?” Lup grinned, adjusting her jacket so her name tag was on full display. The twins had had the grand idea to swap them sometime in the middle of the banquet, and so far, everyone they’d met had been tricked by it, with the exception of Davenport.

 

“Well, if I were to go by your name tags, I’d say you,” he pointed at Taako, “are Lup, and you’re Taako, but when Davenport pointed you guys out to me, he introduced you as the opposite. So my guess is, you’re Lup,” he pointed at Lup, “and you’re Taako.”  


Lup pursed her lips, taking a sip of champagne. “You’re good.”

 

“Well, you’ve gotta pick up on stuff like that when you’re in my line of work. I’m Magnus, by the way! I’m gonna be in charge of keeping you guys safe out there.” He stuck out a hand for Lup to shake.

 

“Oh, I’m sure Taako is gonna feel _much_ safer with you around.” She said as she shook his hand, and Taako shot her a glare, a little heat rising to his cheeks. Magnus stuck out his hand to Taako next, who shook it (though his grip was nowhere near as tight as Magnus’ was).

 

“I’m Taako, and I’m making sure we don’t starve.” He said as he and Magnus dropped their hands. “My sister too, although she’s in it more for the magic.”

 

Magnus cocked his head a little. “Part-time arcanists, full time chefs.” Lup clarified, throwing an arm around Taako. “Turns out you can transmute just about anything into steak if you really need to.”

 

“Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I _did_ manage to make a handful of wheat taste _exactly_ like steak.” Taako added on, smiling at Lup. He absolutely loved bragging about his magic, but liked bragging about his cooking even more.

 

“I look forward to trying it.” Magnus grinned at the two of them as he poured himself a glass of champagne. He took a sip as he looked towards the podium at the front of the room, which Davenport was making his way towards. “I think Davenport is about to give his speech. I’m gonna go grab a table, if you two wanna join.”

 

“We’re good over here, but thanks for the offer, my man.” Taako said with a shrug. Magnus just smiled.

 

“Well, it was super cool meeting you guys! See you around.” He paused for a moment. “ _By the way, I completely agree about the champagne.”_ His elvish wasn’t perfect, but it was fluent. Before either twin could react, Magnus was bidding them goodbye with a wink, and walking towards a relatively empty table. As soon as he left, Lup doubled over in laughter, while Taako downed the rest of his glass, trying and failing to hide the bright red shade his face was turning.

 

* * *

 

The mission briefing was about as exciting as one would expect it to be. Formal introductions were made, Davenport went over the goals of the mission in excruciating detail, and the cheap champagne had been taken out of the picture, leaving only sparkling water as the beverage of choice. Finally, after what felt like hours to the twins, the meeting was over, and Davenport told the crew to follow him. They got up, making their way across the Institute’s campus until they reached a large building. When they got there, Davenport smiled at the crew, pulling out a key card, sliding it into a keypad beside the door. A light on the keypad turned green, and Davenport pushed the door open, revealing a hanger, with a silver ship inside of it. Davenport turned to face the crew, barely able to contain the smile growing on his face.

 

“I’d like you guys to meet the Starblaster.”

 

The Starblaster really was a beautiful ship; disk-shaped, shimmering silver, with a clear bubble surrounding it. Davenport spoke excitedly about the clear bubble, saying that it was designed to withstand most any blow the ship would face, while also allowing the crew to see the space around them. Then, with the push of a button, the clear bubble turned into the same silver as the hull of the ship. Davenport explained that this was so, if they found a world with intense weather conditions, or if they were in a situation where they didn’t want to be seen, they could hide, while still seeing the world outside the ship.

 

“And this is her most impressive feature; her bond engine.” Davenport gestured at the large, circular engine. It hovered behind the ship, suspended by some unknown force. “Bonds keep this beauty going. As long as there are bonds around us, the Starblaster is going to keep running. So, hypothetically, she’ll be running for, well, all of eternity.”

 

Barry and Lup both seemed absolutely enthralled by the science behind the engine. The two bombarded Davenport with questions, insisting they get up close to see what was going on. Taako honestly didn’t care as much. Although interested, he would have rather been checking out what his living situation would be like for the next several months. Lup was always the more scientific of the two; she always wanted to know how everything worked, and what made it work the way it did. On the other hand, Davenport said the engine would keep running for as long as they needed it to, and everyone had their own bed, so that was enough information for Taako.

 

Lucretia, Barry, and Lup were following Davenport closely, Lucretia scribbling furiously in her notebook and Lup and Barry just taking it all in. This left Taako, Magnus, and Merle to actually venture inside the ship, and Taako was happy to see that they all had their own living quarters, with their names already on plaques on the doors. He walked inside his room and smiled to himself. There was a bed, desk, dresser and closet, and a large, floor to ceiling curved window. Fortunately, the rest of the walls weren’t windows, and just regular, thick walls. There was a button on one of the walls and, when pressed, it covered the window with that same silver cover that would cover the rest of the ship. After deciding that the room would do (and, to a lesser degree, that it was the nicest living space he’d occupied since his aunt’s house decades ago), he decided to check out the kitchen.

 

It was decent enough, given how small it was. Not what he would’ve liked, but it also certainly wasn’t the worst kitchen he’d had to work in. Besides, it had everything Taako would need. A fridge, a pantry, stove and oven, the whole works. He inspected all of these carefully, deciding that, yes, this would do. All things considered, he was happy with it. He began to rummage through the cabinets when he heard Magnus shout from across the ship.

 

“Guys, there’s only one bathroom!”

 

* * *

 

The press conference was a few days later, and it went by without much more fanfare than a press conference would normally get. It was followed by a faculty debriefing, which was mostly just going over stuff the seven had already gone over a thousand times already. Stay safe, be scientific, all that fun stuff. They were out in a little over an hour, which gave them the rest of the evening to themselves. It was already getting a little late, the sun just starting to go down, but six of the seven had no plans on going to bed early. As the night drew on, the crew quickly learned a lot about their new co-workers, specifically what they were like inebriated.

 

Davenport came along with them to the tavern they chose, insisting it was only because he wanted to make sure they were going to be able to take off on schedule the next morning. However, when Merle challenged him to a drinking contest, those plans were quickly forgotten, and Merle was taught a lesson about the gnomish tolerance for alcohol. Taako and Lup _were_ faring a little better than the rest, with the combination of their natural elven tolerance, and a little bit of magic to keep them aware, though they were definately a bit gigglier than usual. Magnus was absolutely _hammered._ In fact, it seemed that the only relatively sober one of the group was Lucretia, who was furiously writing in two notebooks, leaving no hands for drinks.

 

Davenport and Merle seemed to be in some sort of heated conversation, full of exaggerated hand gestures and hearty laughter. Taako and Lup became even more devious, hustling people out of their shoes, gold, and a _really_ nice rock. Barry enthused to everyone he met about various aspects of science and dark magics with a massive smile on his face, and Magnus was just cuddly. He’d periodically throw his arms over one of the crew, pulling them into a hug, or just leaning on them. No one seemed especially upset about this; Magnus was basically a walking space heater, and he did give really good hugs. He did, however, seem to be trying to avoid touching the twins, or more specifically, Taako. Whenever Taako would look towards Magnus, he’d turn away, as if he was ashamed of something. A few times, Taako had caught Magnus staring at him, wringing his hands or chewing on his lip, only to quickly look away once he realized Taako had noticed. If Taako and Lup went in his direction, he would make an excuse to move away. Frankly, it was making Taako a little nervous. What could he have possibly done to make Magnus act like, well, _this_? He ignored it as best as he could, focusing on hustling people with his sister, but he still felt Magnus’ eyes on him the whole time.

 

Finally, when Taako and Lup had contented themselves with loot from unsuspecting pool players, taking a break to grab a drink at the bar, Magnus walked over to them. “Hey, Taako, can I talk to you for a second?”

 

Taako shrugged and followed Magnus to a booth in the back of the tavern, sitting down and raising an eyebrow at the larger man. For a moment, Magnus fidgeted in his seat, looking pointedly at the drink in his hands. Finally, Magnus sighed and began to talk. “I just wanted to say I, um, I’m sorry for like. Eavesdropping on you and Lup at the banquet.”

 

“Magnus, that was like a week ago. How long have you been holding onto that?” Magnus blushed, taking a swig of his cider. Taako couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s all good, my dude. I didn’t mind too much. Besides, now I know I can’t talk shit about you.”

 

That got a laugh out of Magnus. “To be fair, it didn’t sound like you were talking shit about me.” This time, it was Taako’s turn to blush, which only made Magnus laugh harder. “If it means anything, I think you’re pretty hot too.”

 

“Well, duh! _Everyone_ thinks Taako’s hot.” He said with a laugh, ignoring the strange little flip-flop his stomach did. Maybe he’d had more to drink than he’d thought. Magnus laughed again, loud and hearty, and the two sipped their ciders in silence for a moment together.

 

“You’re sure it’s all good?” Magnus asked, looking over at Taako, who just laughed lightly to himself and nodded. Suddenly, he was enveloped in Magnus’ arms as he was pulled into a warm, surprisingly gentle bear hug. “Thank Gods! I thought you were mad at me.”

 

Now that he was being hugged by Magnus, it was almost impossible to ignore the fluttering going on inside his stomach. Magnus was so warm, and smelled really nice, and being held by him was strangely comforting. Taako felt himself leaning into the hug, his eyes slipping closed. He quickly jolted up. If Magnus noticed, he didn’t show it, keeping his arms around Taako, but it was enough to snap Taako back to reality. He wasn’t used to this gentleness, especially not from drunk men at taverns. He braced himself, waiting to feel hands slip down to his waist, if not lower, but they never came. Instead, Magnus gave him a final tight squeeze and unwrapped his arms from around Taako, grinning at him as he reached for his tankard, only to find it empty. His grin turned to a grimace as he gazed into the wooden tankard. He turned to Taako.  

 

“I’m going to go grab another one of these. Want me to grab you one?” Taako gestured down to his tankard, which was still at least three-quarters full. “A fair point. Be right back!” Magnus stood, clapping Taako on the shoulder as he did, walking towards the bar. Taako raised his tankard to his lips, following him with his eyes. As he did, he caught the eye of Lup, who was standing nearby. Lup raised one eyebrow at him, silently asking him what had just happened. Taako just shrugged in response, his eyes sweeping over the tavern as he got lost in thought. Tomorrow, he’d be leaving all of this behind, at least for a few months. He started to think of what worlds he might find, and if any of them would feel like home, but his thoughts eventually drifted back to Magnus. He’d been held by plenty of drunk men in taverns, but never like that. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t understand what Magnus was doing, or why he was as gentle as he was, and that scared him. He could do callous, heavy touches. Rough voices and sharp teeth, he knew. But Magnus was being _gentle_. He didn’t know what to do with gentle.

 

He was trying to figure out just what Magnus’ angle was when he was snapped back into reality by the sound of a fight. Somehow, Merle and Magnus had gotten themselves wrapped up in a bar fight, which looked like it was going to turn into an all-out brawl if they weren’t careful. (Honestly, the most surprising thing about this development was that Merle not only was involved, but was holding his own. Taako had assumed that, as a man of the cloth, he’d stay away from violence, but here he was. Taako was a little impressed.) Magnus managed to break the fight up, although one of the fighters did land a pretty solid punch that Taako presumed might turn into a pretty gnarly black eye . Despite the fact that it wasn’t as bad of a fight as it could’ve been, it did get the seven of them kicked out of the tavern, as well as the folks who started the fight in the first place.

 

They stumbled together back to the IPRE dorm building, some on more steady legs than others. Merle and Davenport lead the way, Merle’s arm slung over Davenport’s shoulders as he drunkenly warbled dwarven drinking songs (much to Davenport’s amusement). The seven reached the dorm building and made their way back to their respective dorms, Magnus giving everyone one last bear hug before bed. He went into his own dorm room and, practically throwing his large frame onto the bed replayed the events of the past few weeks. Someone was looking after Fishy for him, his new co-workers were really nice, and in less than twelve hours he was going to be on a freaking _spaceship_. Magnus smiled to himself as he drifted to sleep.

 

Tomorrow was going to be a good day.


	2. Chapter 1/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically this is like an interlude kinda thing?

Year 0

 

Watching your home world getting destroyed does something to a person. Six of the seven of the Starblaster crew stood on the bridge, watching their world disappear as Davenport sped away from the prime material plane, still trying desperately to reach out to the Institute, his cries met with silence.

 

Slowly but surely, the crew began to realize just what had happened. The home they knew was gone. Their two suns, the purple sky. Everyone they’d ever met, and everyone they haven't had the chance to meet yet, all gone.

 

 _Everything_ was gone.

 

The realization came at different times for everyone, and everyone handled it differently. It first hit Barry, who pressed a hand against the glass separating the inside of the Starblaster from the rest of the universe, staring out into the vast space. Lucretia was next to react, dropping to her knees, her notebook falling out of her hand. Merle rushed over to her, placing a hand on her back to steady her, but the same look of shock was spread across his face. Magnus walked backwards on shaky legs, falling backwards onto one of the couches in the common area, staring intensely at a spot between his feet. The only sounds were the hum of the engine, and Davenport still trying to contact the Institute, the hope in his voice dissipating with each failed attempt.

 

And that just left Lup and Taako. They stood where they had been when the black mass first started to take over their world; hands grasped together, staring out of the massive window in a stunned silence. Everyone else had lost something. Everyone else had something waiting for them to return home. But Taako and Lup only had each other. The only things for them on that planet were their aunt’s gravestone, and the people who left the twins waking in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. They had wanted to get off the planet, but they never wanted this. Lup’s grip tightened around Taako’s hand.

 

An hour passed. The crew slowly came out of their shock. Magnus had joined Merle by Lucretia, while Barry stands by Davenport, the two trying to figure out if they could return home. Lup had taken up residence on the couch Magnus had fallen on earlier, deep in meditation, trying to locate the being that destroyed their world. Taako still stood, looking out the window, staring into space. He was fine.

 

Taako forced himself not to think; not to think of the days growing up with his aunt and sister; not to think of learning to cook; of playing pranks with Lup; of the years after his aunt died, just him and Lup against the world and the memories they made together on that planet. He didn’t think of falling in love for the first time; or his first heartbreak; or the time he and Lup had found a travelling troupe of circus performers, and how it felt like home again when they were on the road together.

 

He was _fine._

 

With a start, Taako turned on his heel and rushed to his quarters. He hadn’t even been able to unpack. The mattress was still bare, his belongings still in the bags he’d packed them into. He opened the bag on the top of his bed, tearing through it until his hand touched the blanket. It’s almost embarrassing that he still keeps it with him. His aunt had knitted Taako and Lup each their own blankets when they were kids. It was patched in many places where time had worn it down, and his name, which she’d stitched onto the corner of it, was all but gone, but he didn’t care. It smelled like home. It _felt_ like home. He wrapped the thin fabric around himself and fell onto the bare mattress. It didn’t take long for there to be a knock at the door to his quarters. He didn’t have to look up to know it was Lup. Without speaking, she sat next to him on the bed, moving him so he was resting against her chest, arms wrapped around her brother. She feels even more like home than the blanket does, and Taako belatedly realized that he’s crying. Lup didn’t mind. She just held her brother tighter, a hand stroking the top of his hair, and he tiredly realizes that she’s crying too.

 

For the first time in years, the twins cry themselves to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Magnus had no shoulder to cry on. Everyone he knew, everything he loved, it was all on that planet. His friends, his family, his pet fish, the town where he grew up, that wonderful soup recipe that his great grandmother had passed down along the years. Everyone who had shaped Magnus into the person he is, and everything he’d taken for granted, assuming they’d be there for him when he got back. It was all _gone._

 

Magnus rushes out. He broke away from the crew, slamming and locking the door to his quarters behind him, before sinking to the floor.

 

And then, Magnus began to scream.

 

He didn’t even bother to try and hide it. He just hoped that the door muffled it, at least a little. Davenport mentioned something about the rooms being semi-soundproof, and, gods, he hopes that’s true, because he didn’t stop screaming; not until his voice was raw and shaky, his face soaked with tears that just wouldn’t stop coming. He could see them all so clearly; his mother’s face as she saw the black tendrils plunge into their world. He knows that she would have tried to save as many people as she could. He can see his childhood home, which she never left. Her and his father helping usher people in, his grandmother trying to keep everyone calm, while the world descended into chaos around them. They would have been so scared, and so confused, and he could do _nothing._

 

Magnus would have screamed again, if his voice would let him. All that came out was a weak sob. He couldn’t do _anything._ Magnus collapsed on the floor, curling into himself, body wracked with sobs. He felt exhaustion taking over, the corners of his vision going dark.

 

And, as Magnus slipped into unconsciousness, he made a promise to himself: he will never let something like this happen again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Sorry for the dramatic tone change in this chapter. That happens a lot in my writing honestly?

**Author's Note:**

> I've got big plans for this fic. Thank you for reading!


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